|
What is a Vinyl Record?
Vinyl Today (More
Popular Than You Might Think)
What is a Vinyl
Record?
A vinyl record is a black circular disk made of "vinyl" which is a
type of plastic. Grooves on either side of the disc store analog audio
information which can be reproduced by a record player. Vinyl was the
medium of choice for listening to audio for over 50 years.
The 78
"78" is the term used for older records, which were usually made of
shellac, not vinyl. 78 refers to the speed at which they were played, i.e.
78 rpm (rotations per minute, i.e. the speed of the turntable). 78s are 10
inches in diameter, and store about 15-20 minutes of audio. They were
often stored in books with paper sleeves as pages. 78s are also extremely
fragile, and easy to break.
The LP
An "LP" or "Long Play" vinyl record usually stores about
30-60 minutes of audio. LPs are 12 inches in diameter, and are protected
by a 12.5 inch square cover which includes artwork, and information about the
audio. LPs play at 33 1/3 rpm.. Unlike fragile 78's, LPs are
remarkably flexible and less likely to break. This is the most common form
of a vinyl record.
The 7 Inch
A "7 inch" vinyl record is only seven inches in diameter as the
name suggests. They are also called "45's" because they play at
45 rpm, slightly faster than LPs. These smaller records usually contained
a hit single on the "A" side, and a bonus song on the "B"
side. This is how terms such as "B-rate Movie" or "B-rate
Actor" (meaning widely unknown and/or not very popular) came about.
For whatever reason, the songs on the "B-Side" didn't always make the
full album. Thus, sometimes the only way to legally obtain these songs is
to own the 45. 45's were sometimes accompanied by a picture sleeve which
housed them. 45's also have a large hole in the center, and require a
special piece to fill the hole when playing on a standard record player.
For decades, jukeboxes used 45's to play hit singles. Most jukeboxes were
probably only setup to play the A-side. 45's had a limited life in a
jukebox because after being moved around enough, they eventually wear down,
become faint and produce audible static. The 7 inch can only hold about
2-4 minutes of audio on each side.
The 12 Inch
A "12 inch" vinyl record is the same size as an LP, but usually
plays at 45 rpm like a "7 inch" vinyl does. Also like a 45, the
12 inch vinyl is used to promote a single. But since the 12 inch is
larger, the songs can be longer in length, and/or hold multiple remixes of the
same song or sometimes just different songs. A 12 inch usually holds about
5-8 minutes of audio on each side.
The EP
EPs are often indistinguishable from LPs other than these following
characteristics. An EP or "Extended Play" vinyl record, is
essentially a cross between a 12 inch and an LP. Although it is 12 inches
in diameter, it is sometimes referred to an a "mini LP" because it
does not have as many songs. They usually have 4-6 songs, and hold
anywhere from 20-30 minutes of audio. In addition, EPs might play at 45
rpm instead of 33 1/3 rpm.
The Picture Disc
There are some pretty cool vinyl records that have pictures printed on them.
A picture disc is made when transparent vinyl is used instead of the black
stuff. The way the discs are manufactured, a picture can be seen
underneath the grooves on each side of the record. Some vinyl records are
also done in other colors such as red, blue, purple, or green. Although
they look great, most audiophiles agree that some of the audio quality is lost
when clear or colored vinyl is used instead of black.
Vinyl Today (More Popular
Than You Might Think)
Vinyl VS CD
There are millions of people who prefer the sound of vinyl over CD. In
fact, many claim that vinyl stores accurate uncompressed audio, which can easily
surpass the quality of CDs when using the right audio equipment. The
recent advent of SACD (Super Audio CD by Sony), and DVDAudio are attempts to
decrease the amount of compression that is used to store audio on a standard
CD. Of course, CDs are far more convenient than vinyl. They are less
likely to scratch, more portable, and provide the ability to skip tracks.
Today's Youth Discover Vinyl
Today's generations of teenagers and young adults have little or no
experience with vinyl. For them, it is hard to imagine a music store full
of vinyl records instead of CDs. But as they become curious about their
musical heritage, they begin to "discover" vinyl. Their pop
culture is filled with hip characters in movies and television shows who collect
vinyl records. As one example, most of the shows premiered on WB (Warner
Brothers) television which are geared towards teenagers and young adults,
feature cool 16-22 year-olds who have large collections of vinyl and
occasionally buy vinyl as gifts for their friends (i.e. One Tree Hill, Gilmore
Girls, Everwood, Smallville etc.).
Yes, You Can Still Buy New Vinyl
Additionally, many artists are still releasing their albums in vinyl
format. The RIAA reported $500 million dollars in new vinyl sales for
2004. Although this is insignificant compared to CDs, it's still more than
the sales of new cassette tapes, DVDAudio and SACDS combined. A few record
manufacturers are also re-releasing older albums to loyal vinyl
collectors. There are also incalculable amounts of "used" vinyl
record sales every year, possibly totaling billions of dollars.
DJs Love Vinyl
In the professional DJ market, vinyl is king. Singles and remixes are
still released on vinyl to support this die-hard group of audio
enthusiasts. A few DJs are going all-digital, but they risk being
disrespected in their field. In a similar way, professional photographers
and movie directors refuse to use digital cameras. With the exception of
the latest Star Wars movie "Revenge of the Sith" which was the first
major production to be digitally filmed in it's entirety, every major movie in
history has used analog film. Even when green-screens are employed to
digitally create the back-drop, the actors are still filmed in analog. In
the end, digital convenience may ultimately win over analog quality.
Thousands of Albums
Unavailable on CD
Unfortunately, there are thousands of albums on vinyl, that will never make
the official transformation to CD. Artists who were big in the 50's - 80's
may have had several hit albums, but the record companies will cherry-pick which
albums to release on CD based on which is guaranteed to produce the largest
profit. Another reason why some albums aren't making the transformation is
because of all the legal red-tape involved. Many artists would like to independently
release their material on CD, but simply don't have the right to do so based on
the often ridiculous contracts and agreements. But there is hope - today's
artists have a lot more rights. For example, most contemporary artists can
decide to play at a club or concert for profit without having to get approval
from their record company. In the past, that would have been almost
impossible to do.
For more information about vinyl records, check out The
Record Collectors Guild.
Author: Nathan Weisser
Owner of Vinyl Revolution
| 
